Palace Donaueschingen

History

The Princely Fürstenberg Residential Palace is located close to the source of the Danube in an expansive park amidst old trees, atmospheric ponds and streams, historic buildings and monuments.

The palace owes its existence to the elevation of the city of Donaueschingen as Princely Fürstenberg Residence. In 1723 Prince Josef Wilhelm Ernst laid the foundation for a baroque palace befitting the central point of one the largest sovereign states in south-western Germany. At the same time a whole ring of functional and representative manorial buildings was erected around the palace, forming a charming ensemble that still shapes the character of Donaueschingen today.

The palace, however, has not stood still unaltered since the Baroque period, but has been continuously adapted to meet the changing needs of domestic comfort and representation. Its present-day appearance largely derives from a thoroughgoing reconstruction carried out between 1892 and 1896. Not only was the old Baroque palace’s elongated facade broken up by the protruding central wing and a mighty dome but the interior was also completely redesigned.

Since then, the Donaueschingen residence has combined the representative demands and spatial requirements of a palace with the living comfort of a villa, and all of this under the auspices of the French-influenced sense of style. As such it is a solitary phenomenon within the largely baroque-oriented landscape of German palaces. Prince Dorothea, the consort of Karl Egon IV, the palace’s builder, was of eminent significance in this regard as she was a member of one of France’s great noble families, the House of Talleyrand-Périgord. The palace has seen a renewed rebirth in recent times as well. In 2002, His Serene Highness Prince Heinrich and his family took up residence here. Thanks to the refurbishment measures commenced at that time and only completed in 2007, the princely residence is now again one of the most striking and best preserved palaces in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Events

For a limited time every year, the princely family provides the Palace Donaueschingen for external events. Enjoy your event in our palace, exclusively reserved for you.

Whether a party or a discreet business meeting, our rooms turn every event into that certain something. Experience the “Life in the Palace”: all rooms were kept in their original conditions and furnished with historical furniture, works of art and literature, collected by the princely family for centuries. The Fuerstenberg residences are an excellent choice for your event.

Guided Tours

The splendid rooms of reception and representation of the chateau, decorated in the style of the French epochs of the Regence, Louis quinze, Louis seize and Empire, can be viewed in an art-historical tour. Representative portraits of members of the princely family, precious furniture and tapestries, porcelain from Vienna, Meissen and Nymphenburg give a lively impression of aristocratic life.